The Haunted Mask
by frisson rae
Summary: Ok minna! This is my first angsty yaoi deathfic........Comments Please! Rated PG for *slight yaoi*


The Haunted Mask  
  
*Standard disclaimer applies*  
  
A/N: Hello readers, this is my very first yaoi deathfic! trumpets sound and drum roll its also my first yaoi! louder trumpets and drum roll its pretty angsty.  
  
Prologue  
  
If you had known the previous Rukawa Kaede, 'cold', 'aloof', and 'distant' would never have been associated with him. But as the family curse went, every Rukawa child would assume the expressionless face at 15 years of age. The mask would then dominate them for the rest of their lives. No miracle could remove it...  
  
* * * The Haunted Mask  
  
Rukawa stared at his reflection. His reflection stared back. That cold, expressionless face that removed his ability to smile. The unremovable mask, it prevented him from loving, it rejected everyone around him, hurting them. Including Sendoh Akira.  
  
[Flashback] - The eve of Rukawa's 15th Birthday  
  
"What the HELL are you talking about? What curse??" Rukawa Kaede yelled.  
  
Rukawa Kaoru sighed and rubbed his forehead exasperatedly. "It's a curse, as punishment for what one of your ancestors did. Something so terrible it must not be uttered. You have always asked why I'm so cold and unfeeling. It's due to the mask. In a few hours time, you too, will assume the mask."  
  
* * * Usually Rukawa could hardly wait till his official birthday passed. He was born at 12 o'clock midnight, 1st January. It coincided with the New Year. But now, he watched the clock with dread. Three minutes to midnight. two minutes. one minute. and the clock struck twelve. Rukawa felt the sudden change of atmosphere to a much colder one. Strange, he hadn't touched the thermostat. He felt a growing unease due to an unseen presence. He tried to smile in spite of it all but his mouth merely twitched. When he tried to smile again, a wave of pain washed over him. So this was the curse..  
  
[End of Flashback]  
  
But the mask didn't only control his facial expressions. He'd lived with it for a year. He knew. the mask was evil. It controlled his mind. A shred of his existence could only watch helplessly in numb horror. The mask continually lashed out at the people around him. Girls flocked to him, but he could not respond to their affection. The mask gave him his great talent and ability to play basketball. His gift was. his curse. He knew it would not be long till he seriously injured someone other than the annoying redhead; perhaps even kill someone. And yet, he could do nothing to stop it.  
  
Then he did the unthinkable. He invited Sendoh Akira over for a sleepover. In the midst of the night, the mask woke him up and commanded him to retrieve a knife from the kitchen. He quietly stepped into the guest room where Sendoh was sleeping. Carefully, he poised the knife at Sendoh's throat, ready to slash. His inner will fought the mask with all his strength; the last thing he wanted was to kill Sendoh. The mask was no match for him, but he managed to keep himself from killing Sendoh. He made the ultimate decision: he would rather die than kill Sendoh. This way, the mask would have no chance to hurt other people. One sacrifice; and hundreds would be saved. The only difficult part was that the sacrifice was going to be him.  
  
Sendoh woke up arubptly. His eyes widened at the knife pointed at him. Betrayal and hurt flashed across his eyes. Rukawa finally broke the barrier of the mask and gained control of himself momentarily and hastily pulled the knife away.  
  
And he smiled. A brilliant, radiant smile. Yes, it felt so good to smile when he hadn't been doing so for more than a year. He wanted Sendoh to be the last to see him smile. He drove the knife into his chest.  
  
As blood spurted everywhere, he crumpled to the floor slowly.  
  
"I . love...y-you..Aki..ra..."  
  
And Rukawa Kaede breathed his last.  
  
* * *  
  
Sendoh's P.O.V.  
  
I'm sorry, Kaede. Sorry that it had to be you. Sorry that good doesn't always triumph over evil. But I know you tried your best, didn't you? Don't blame yourself. I didn't want to come to this. But why weep over an empty carcass? Your soul still exists, Kaede, and I'll see you in heaven.  
  
~ owari ~  
  
A/N: I think I overdid the angst. I tried to write poetry but it didn't come out the way I wanted it to, so I just put it in from Sendoh's P.O.V. Review, onegai! 


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